Editor's Note: This story describes sexual abuse of a child. Discretion is advised. To read and watch the original story in Spanish, go here.
A Salvadoran family says they’re living a nightmare after their 10-year-old daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old woman who the family says continues to threaten them.
The abuse took place in the victim’s home in Alexandria, Virginia. Her mother told News4's sister station, Telemundo 44, in Spanish that it started when she opened up her home to a family who had recently moved to the United States.
“I helped them because a relative of my husband and daughters had removed them from their property,” she said. “I felt for them.”
The mother said she trusted her new roommates because they were a woman and her three daughters, one of whom was 19 years old.
But soon, she says, she noticed changes.
“My daughter was a bit more aggressive with me, like she’d look at me with a hateful face,” she said.
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That behavior told the victim’s mother that something was wrong. And one day, when she came home, she saw the 19-year-old and a 16-year-old grabbing her daughter, kissing and touching her sexually.
The victim’s mother said her daughter would pull her face away sharply, and “she yelled for help.”
The victim also spoke to Telemundo 44.
“The girl that was 19 rubbed my whole body,” she said. “I didn’t feel good.”
The girl’s mother said that day, she kicked the whole family out.
And according to her daughters, the victim's sisters, ages 6 and 7, were also physically hurt by the suspect on at least two occasions.
“They’d throw them against the floor, and they said they’d make them even pick up poop,” the mother said. “My daughters of 6 and 7 years old said, ‘Finally, we won’t suffer more mistreatment.’“
Since then, the family has allegedly received threats along with sexually explicit pictures and videos from the suspects.
Screenshots provided to Telemundo 44 show that the victim received messages from the alleged suspect, saying, “I love you,” “I adore you,” “don’t leave me wanting,” followed by a picture.
Other messages read, “Your whole family will be dead just like you… I’m going to kill you all… I have people who do that.”
“They started sending threats to my daughter … that they were going to kidnap her, that no matter where they saw her they would take her,” the victim’s mother said. “That I’m going to pay for this … My daughter blocks them, reports them.”
According to the mother, Alexandria police have filed at least two reports related to the case that date back to August.
But she said police have told her “that they can’t find her … that they’re going to keep investigating. And they were going to assign a new detective, because for the first report, the sergeant handling the case didn’t have a complete report.”
Alexandria police have not responded to a request for comment.